Frame for constructing building boards



INVENTO ATTORNEY Sept. 29, 1936. A. RAFTER I FRAME FOR CONSTRUCTINGBUILDING BOARDS Filed Oct. 22, 1935 Patented Sept. 29, 1936 UNiTEDSTATES PATENT OFFIQE Albert Rafter, Glen Ridge, N. J., assignor toRafter Machine Company, Belleville, N. J., a partnership composed ofAlbert Rafter and John C. Rafter, Jr.

Application October 22, 1935, Serial No. 46,078

7 Claims. (01. 72-68) This invention relates to frames used inconstructing building boards and the like of gypsum or similarcementitious material.

Boards made of gypsum or a composition of 5 matter of a similar natureare used to a considerable extent in building construction for flooring,walls, ceilings, etc. These boards are fireproof and durable and theyhave been found superior in many respects to wood and other 10 wallboards. The boards are usually made in sizes of ten feet long andapproximately fifteen inches wide and two inches thick. However, it isdesirable at times to make boards of less thickness, at the same timeproviding the requisite 15 strength for the purpose intended. It is alsonecessary to provide means to fit adjacent boards snugly to each other;and heretofore, for this purpose, frames of the boards have beenprovided with a tongue and groove arrangement as is commonly used infitting wood panels. However, the ordinary tongue and groove arrangementis unsatisfactory in that the strength and rigidity of the frame isconsiderably decreased by providing a centrally located groove or acentrally lo- 25 cated tongue, as such an arrangement causes the sidesof the frame to bend inwardly, resulting in improper securing of thegypsum or other composition of matter thereto, and also causing thegypsum to crack and crumble when the board is subjected to large loadsand excessive handling.

It is an object of this invention, to provide exceedingly rigid framesfor making building boards of gypsum or similar cementitious materialwhich frames have means enabling adjacent frames to 35 be convenientlyfitted to each other without in any way affecting the strength of theframes.

A further object is the provision of a frame for making building boardswhich is so shaped as to enable the gypsum or other cementitiousmaterial 40 to readily flow into all corners and parts of the frame,thereby providing a secure and effective binding between the frame andcementitious material.

These and other advantageous objects which 45 will later appear, areaccomplished by the simple and practical construction and arrangement ofparts hereinafter described and exhibited in the accompanying drawing,forming part hereof, and in which:

50 Fig. 1 is a perspective View partly in section of a building boardhaving a frame embodying my invention,

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective View partly in section, showing themanner in which two ad- 55 J'acent frames are connected to each other,and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view in section showing details of my framemembers when applied. toa building board.

Referring to the drawing, it will be seen that the building boards arerectangular in shape with 5 two adjacent sides of each board havingframe members of the same construction provided with a groove and theother two sides of the board having frame members of the sameconstruction 7 provided with a tongue, thereby enabling adjacent 10frame members to be fitted to each other. As will be seen in Fig. 3, oneof the frame members has a vertical side 4 which is bent inwardly toprovide a horizontal ledge 5 which in turn is bent downwardly andoutwardly at an angle as shown at 6 and then bent inwardly parallel tothe ledge 5 to provide the bottom wall I which is provided with anupturned flange 8. The upper end of the Vertical side wall 4 is providedwith an inwardly and downwardly directed flange 9.

On the opposite side of the board, the frame member is provided with avertical side wall M, and an outwardly directed horizontal ledge 15,which is bent inwardly at an angle as shown at 6 and then bent inwardlyto provide the hon zontal bottom Wall H, the latter being provided withan upturned flange l8. The side wall M is provided at its upper edgewith an inwardly and downwardly directed flange l9. Cementitiousmaterial is molded between the two frame members as shown in Fig. 3.

The side walls 4 and [4 have a plurality of spaced apertures which aresurrounded by inwardly directed cylindrical flanges l0 integral withsaid side walls. These apertures and flanges provide means for anchoringthe cementitious material to the frame members and at the same timegreatly increase the strength of the frame member.

From the above description, it will be seen that the shape of the framemembers enables the cementitious material to be easily crowded into allcorners of the frame members; and the flanges 9 and 8, or l8 and I9,serve to anchor the cementitious material in position. Adjacent 5 framemembers may be conveniently fitted together as shown in Fig. 2, thetongue formed by the parts [5 and I6 fitting into the groove formed bythe parts 5 and 6. The arrangement of the tongue and groove on the framemembers also enables the making of a board of less thickness thanheretofore has been possible with metal frame members, at the same timein no way affecting the strength of the frame members.

The foregoing disclosure is to be regarded as descriptive andillustrative only, and not as restrictive or limitative of theinvention, of which obviously an embodiment may be constructed includingmany modifications, without departing from the general scope hereinindicated and denoted in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a frame for constructing composition building boards, a metalframe member having a side wall provided at one edge with an inwardlydownwardly directed flange and the other edge bent inwardly and at rightangles thereto to provide a ledge, the inner portion of the ledge beingbent outwardly and downwardly to form a groove, and then bent inwardlyat right angles to the side wall to provide a bottom wall for the framemember, said bottom wall having an upwardly directed flange.

2. In a frame for constructing composition building boards, a metalframe member having a side wall provided at one edge with an inwardlyand downwardly directed flange and the other edge bent outwardly atright angles thereto to provide a ledge, the outer portion of said ledgebeing bent inwardly and downwardly, said portion being bent at rightangles to the side wall to provide a bottom wall for the frame member.

3. In a frame for constructing composition building boards, a metalframe member having a side wall provided at one edge with an inwardlyand downwardly directed flange and the other edge bent at right anglesthereto to provide a ledge, the portion of the ledge remote from thewall being bent downwardly and at an angle, said portion being furtherbent at right angles to the side wall to provide a bottom wall for theframe member, said bottom wall having an upwardly directed flange.

4. In a frame for constructing composition building boards, a framemember having a side wall provided on one edge with an inwardly anddownwardly directed flange and the other edge bent at right anglesthereto to provide a ledge, a portion of the ledge remote from the wallbeing bent downwardly and at an angle, said portion being then bent atright angles to the side wall to provide a bottom wall for the framemember.

5. In a frame for constructing composition building boards, a framemember having a side wall provided on one edge with an inwardly anddownwardly directed flange and the other edge bent at right anglesthereto to provide a ledge, a portion of the ledge remote from the wallbeing bent downwardly and at an angle, said portion being then bent atright angles to the side wall to provide a bottom wall for the framemember, said side wall having a plurality of spaced apertures along thelongitudinal center line thereof, and cylindrical flanges integral withthe side wall and surrounding the apertures.

6. In a frame for constructing composition building boards, a metalframe member having a side wall having one edge thereof bent at rightangles thereto to provide a ledge, the portion of the ledge remote fromthe wall being bent downwardly and at an angle, said portion being thenbent at right angles to the side wall to provide a bottom wall for theframe member, said side wall having a plurality of spaced aperturesalong the longitudinal center line thereof, and cylindrical flangesintegral with the side wall and surrounding the apertures.

7. In a frame for constructing composition building boards, a metalframe member having a side wall provided at one edge with an inwardlyand downwardly directed flange and the other edge bent at right anglesthereto to provide a ledge, the portion of the ledge remote from thewall being bent downwardly and at an angle, said portion being furtherbent at right angles to the side wall to provide a bottom wall for theframe member, said bottom wall having an upwardly directed flange, saidside wall having a plurality of spaced apertures along the longitudinalcenter line thereof, and cylindrical flanges integral with the side walland surrounding the apertures.

ALBERT RAFTER.

